I don't know much about track bikes other than the fact that we had a lot of fun on the velodrome last winter. It appears that square-taper bottom brackets are the favored type for track racing. Anyone know why that is?

I'm trying to come up with a reasonably light build list for the bikes... but the frames themselves are a bit portly.

Sram have 2 models of track cranks that are running the GXP system if you prefer that over the square-tapered bb. The S300 and the Omnium. The S-300 is the budget version of the 2 with BCD of 130; while the Omnium comes with 144 bcd which is commonly used for track.

Overall, with lesser parts on the track bike, you should be able to get your bike to a reasonably light build with decent parts.

First, are tubulars preferable to clinchers? I run tubulars exclusively on my road, tt, and CX bikes. But, with a track being a very smooth surface I wonder if there is any benefit to tubulars over clinchers.

Second, how narrow should I go with the handlebars? I run a 44cm (c-to-c) handlebar on the road. Track bike handlebars seem to be considerably narrower.

Tubulars are still the preference, you can buy track specific ones (as the surface is very smooth) that are incredibly supple and feel fantastic to ride however as we ride on both outdoor and indoor velodromes I use a more robust tubular that is a slick (no tread) and works well for both applications. As you already use them for everything it would make sense to keep using them as you are all setup for it.

Narrow handlebars are great for reducing your frontal area and the common size is around 40-38cm. Just make sure its comfortable enough for you to still produce power when in the sprint. Really narrow bars can feel unstable. I use 40cm road bars instead of track specific as I don't like having a positive rise stem or heaps of spacers to get the same position.

Sram Omnium cranks are great as are most other high end cranksets, I have also seen people running Rotor cranks and Sram Red as track cranks.

Aero and stiffness is where it's at for track. Go deep if you can, build something stiff rather than super light and make it aero. A lot of people I ride with use pista wheels or eclipse for training and then have deep wheels for racing or even a disc/5 spoke combo for the big time.

Ted, take a look at the Deda track bars too. I have a set and they are light for track bars, pretty inexpensive and, of course, plenty stiff. I don't track race but run a track bike as a fixie. It's a blast to ride and I do use a square bottom bracket, Miche, with a set of Vuelta track cranks and a Genetic track ring.

I'm still debating the parts list for building up the bikes. I'm considering some no-name Chinese carbon tubulars from ebay, 60 or 88mm, then upgrading the bearings if they're of low quality. But all the wheels I have found have round spokes, which seems a bit odd.

These bikes are for winter training and fun. So maybe it's not an issue, but my son has demonstrated some talent and there is a posibility he may actually wind up racing on the boards. So I want to give him a quality ride without blowing his college fund.

My indecision on wheels is holding things up. Considering building my own, but I can source two pairs of pre-built chinese wheels online for less than the price of a name-brand pair of rims. Budget may win this time...

It appears that square-taper bottom brackets are the favored type for track racing. Anyone know why that is?

For a narrower Q-factor? Track bikes also typically feature shorter cranks. Track cycling is a great way to improve power and cadence. When are the bikes finished?

Bad ass looking wheels btw!

_________________“I always find it amazing that a material can actually sell a product when it’s really the engineering that creates and dictates how well that material will behave or perform.” — Chuck Teixeira

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